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Children in Need Funding secures new service for Children and Young People

Article published on 20 December 2018

Northamptonshire Rape Crisis (NRC) is now able to expand its services to young survivors of sexual violence and abuse thanks to a three-year grant from BBC Children in Need.

We have appointed a new Children and Young Person’s Independent Sexual Violence Advisor – or ChISVA, for short – who will provide practical and emotional support for 13- to 17-year-olds including help with reporting to the police and attending court.

Support is available whether or not an offence has been reported to the police and can be accessed by self-referral or via a professional referral including schools, colleges, social services, GPs and police. Therapeutic groups for children and young people will also take place during the school summer holidays.

The aim of the project is to improve the safety and well-being of young survivors of sexual violence by reducing the chances of re-victimisation and ensuring they can confidently identify and report abusive behaviour from adults and peers.

The project will also introduce steps to ensure young people are fully aware of the criminal justice system and their rights.

Dawn Thomas of NRC said:

“By combining our existing counselling services for young people with this new practical support that will be tailored to meet the needs of each individual, we will be making a real difference to the lives of young survivors”.

The current minimum age for referrals is 13, however, this will be reduced to the age of 10 during 2019. Children and young people will need to be accompanied by a parent or care giver when visiting our centre.

For more details on the support available for children and young people, please click here.